A Kosher Way of Life

As direct descendants of kosher butchers, we're well aware of the ethics issues involved in ritual slaughter. Recently, the Jewish community has begun to acknowledge the same. The immigration raid in May of 2008 on the meat plant Agriprocessors Inc. placed a national spotlight on kosher slaughterhouses, uncovering, among other things, the abusive treatment of underage, undocumented workers. As well, Jonathan Safer Foer's latest book, Eating Animals (Little, Brown, 2009), about the ethics behind diets that include meat, has put the dilemma of keeping kosher at the forefront for many religiously minded Jews.